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Congress: The Context
Section. 1.
Clause 1:
The executive Power shall be vested in a President
of the United States of America. He shall hold his
Office during the Term
of four Years, and, together with the Vice President,
chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows
Clause 2:
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature
thereof may direct, a Number
of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators
and Representatives to which the State may be entitled
in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative,
or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under
the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
Clause 3:
The Electors shall meet in their respective States,
and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one
at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same
State with themselves. And they shall make a List
of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number
of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and
certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the
Government of the United States, directed to the
President of the Senate. The President of the Senate
shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of
Representatives, open all the Certificates, and
the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having
the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President,
if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number
of Electors appointed; and if there be more than
one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number
of Votes, then the House
of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one
of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority,
then from the five highest on the List the said
House shall in like Manner chuse the President.
But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be
taken by States, the Representation from each State
having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall
consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of
the States, and a Majority of all the States shall
be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the
Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest
Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice
President. But if there should remain two or more
who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from
them by Ballot the Vice President.
Clause 4:
The congress may determine the Time of chusing the
Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their
Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the
United States.
Clause 5:
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen
of the United States, at the time of the Adoption
of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office
of President; neither shall any Person be eligible
to that Office who shall not have attained to the
Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years
a Resident within the United States.
Clause 6:
In Case of the Removal of the President from Office,
or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge
the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same
shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress
may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death,
Resignation or Inability, both of the President
and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall
then act as President, and such Officer shall act
accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or
a President shall be elected.
Clause 7:
The President shall, at stated Times, receive for
his Services, a Compensation,
which shall neither be encreased nor diminished
during the Period for which he shall have been elected,
and he shall not receive within that Period any
other Emolument from the United States, or any of
them.
Clause 8:
Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he
shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully
execute the Office of President of the United States,
and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect
and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Section. 2.
Clause 1:
The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army
and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia
of the several States, when called into the actual
Service of the United States; he may require the
Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in
each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject
relating to the Duties of their respective Offices,
and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons
for Offences against the United States, except in
Cases of Impeachment.
Clause 2:
He shall have Power, by and with the Advice
and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided
two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he
shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent
of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public
Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court,
and all other Officers of the United States, whose
Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for,
and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress
may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers,
as they think proper, in the President alone, in the
Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
Clause 3:
The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies
that may happen during the Recess of the Senate,
by granting Commissions which shall expire at the
End of their next Session.
Section. 3.
He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information
of the State
of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration
such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient;
he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both
Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement
between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment,
he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think
proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public
Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully
executed, and shall Commission all the Officers
of the United States.
Section. 4.
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers
of the United States, shall be removed from Office
on Impeachment for,
and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high
Crimes and Misdemeanors.
